Last Updated on: 9th October 2013, 08:12 pm
This is funny, but I can’t say I completely agree with him about everything. Sure, a ton of people are switching to VOIP and cellular phones and abandoning the landline, but I don’t think it’s just the new wave and we should make a toast to the land phone and call it an antique and give up on it. I think the people switching to wireless and VOIP are foolish.
He mentions the blackout of 2003. That’s exactly why I think they’re fools. Why make one more important thing rely on electricity? Back then, the phone still worked. I know it relies on wee bits of electricity, but the point is it was independent of the main hydro. The hydro was out, but we could still check on family members and make sure they were ok, and people could still call 911 if they needed help. Speaking of 911, 911+VOIP=disastrous, 911+landline=the only way. I know things can improve in that regard, but that’s way too much of a risk for me to take, personally.
And I can’t figure out what’s even remotely affordable about having the cell as your primary phone. I just don’t get it. I haven’t found a plan that comes close to the land phones’ plans. Have I not looked hard enough? The way I see it, by switching back to the cell, you’re going back to the days when you really had to budget your time on the phone and only call people if absolutely necessary. Why choose that over the landlines where you can have so much more freedom?
And ug, don’t even get me started on the quality of VOIP calls. I’ve had some really good calls on them, but I’ve had some really shitty calls too. I can’t say I’ve had a single shitty call on a land phone where pieces of the caller’s words were digested by some kind of internet void or there were delays. It just doesn’t happen.
When the day comes when I’m forced to go VOIP, I’ll kick, scream and cry. Why get rid of a technology that’s been rock-solid and reliable for decades?